• Alma Lasers (Buffalo Grove, Illinois) reported FDA clearance and the launch of the Pixel CO2, the company's latest fractional, ablative CO2 solution. The system combines the proven effectiveness of an ablative approach with the patient comfort level and convenience of a non-ablative solution. The Pixel CO2 system and recently approved Pixel CO2 Omnifit handpiece have been designed to equip physicians with the company's Pixel Perfect treatment. Pixel Perfect works by creating thousands of microscopic perforations while leaving the skin intact, allowing the skin's top layer to heal rapidly and significantly improving the complexion. Any area of the skin that has surface irregularities can be treated, including the neck, chest, thighs, hands and arms. Alma Lasers makes laser, light and radio frequency-based aesthetic devices.

• Applied Biosystems (Foster City, California) said it has established a global service provider program for RNA expression analysis. The TaqMan service provider program was created for research scientists who do not have laboratories equipped for performing TaqMan assays, or who choose to outsource their experiments to obtain accurate, sensitive, and reproducible data, generated by authorized third parties using Applied Biosystems' TaqMan RNA expression analysis reagents. This program will provide these scientists with a comprehensive solution for completing a variety of biological sample processing and data analysis projects that incorporate gold-standard TaqMan assay chemistry. Scientists who need higher throughput real-time PCR capabilities or advanced TaqMan solutions can also benefit from having access to these service providers. Applied Biosystems is supporting the TaqMan service provider program by providing reagents, instruments and expertise which are expected to enhance the participating service providers' ability to deliver advanced RNA expression analysis services to customers.

The Beaumont Commercialization Center (Royal Oak, Michigan) said it is adding a new surgical instrument to its portfolio of medical technology available for licensing. John Uckele, MD, a Beaumont obstetrician/gynecologist, created a surgical instrument for obtaining tissue samples during cervical conization. Cervical conization is a procedure used for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of abnormal or pre-cancerous cells in a woman's cervix. If other tests find abnormal or pre-cancerous cells, cervical conization is performed and a cone-shaped sample of the abnormal tissue is removed from the cervix for further examination. Beaumont says that this new device is an improvement over other devices and procedures in that it yields high quality tissue samples, ideal for analysis, with a minimum degree of surgical skill and estimation. The design also helps to reduce the resulting bleeding after the procedure. Part of Beaumont Hospitals, the Beaumont Commercialization Center is a hospital-based medical device development resource focused on helping manufacturers and inventors bring their ideas for new medical devices and technology to reality.

• Masimo (Irvine, California) reported the limited release of its noninvasive and continuous hemoglobin and oxygen content monitors, Radical-7 and Rad-87. Masimo also reported FDA clearance of its latest Rainbow family of adhesive sensors capable of noninvasively measuring total hemoglobin and oxygen content, along with oxygen saturation, pulse rate, pleth variability index and methemoglobin, for use with Masimo Rainbow SET-enabled devices. Masimo noninvasive total hemoglobin and oxygen content are part of Masimo Rainbow SET Pulse CO-Oximetry, a technology platform to noninvasively measure blood constituents and fluid responsiveness that previously required invasive procedures. Masimo makes pulse CO-oximetry and measure-through-motion and low-perfusion pulse oximetry.